Heretofore, various types of groupware have been known as software for exchanging information between groups by using a network. Such groupware are configured so as to assist the following application. Each document or each document group consisting of a plurality of documents, which users themselves or other users have entered or changed, is listed in a view window of each user so that all the users can read each document or each document group. Then, all the users composing the group read each document or each document group issued by other users and give opinions on each document or each document group so that all the users can have an exchange of opinions or a discussion.
FIG. 14 is an illustration of one example of the view window of the user in the conventional groupware. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a document list is typically displayed in a view pane on the right side. An asterisk is displayed on the left end of each document or each document group in the view pane or a title or the like of the document is displayed in red, whereby the user can determine whether or not he/she has already read the document.
However, in the conventional groupware, the user can recognize only whether or not he/she has already read the displayed document or document group, and the user cannot recognize whether or not other users have read the document or the document group. For example, when project members use a discussion database, the members cannot recognize whether or not specific members have read the document entered or changed by the members themselves or other members.
That is, when the database using such groupware is used, work always progresses on the assumption that others have read each document. A meeting can show who are present at the meeting. However, when such a database is used like an actual meeting, it, in fact, often happens that some members have not read the document because they are busy or because they take a day off or a holiday or they are on a business trip. This may hinder or delay the progress of the work. There is no problem in a system enabling each member to recognize to whom the document has been passed among regular members, such as a circular document. However, the discussion database, in which the contents of the document being used are being rapidly changed one after another, as in the case of the meeting, does not have means for recognizing whether or not other members have read each document, as described above.
Moreover, due to the above problem, a person who manages the project cannot ascertain whether or not all the project members take part in the discussion. Furthermore, the members can recognize who has prepared or edited each document by checking properties of each document, but there is no means for checking whether or not the members composing the group have read the changed document after the document has been finally changed.
The following technique is disclosed as a method of managing a folder for making it easy to use groupware in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-84748. This technique is that it is made possible to define the folder having new attribute information or to edit the attribute information, whereby the shape or color of the folder is changed and displayed in accordance with the folder attribute information and the change of the attribute information. However, although this technique can manage the whole folder, this technique cannot achieve an object of the invention, i.e., this technique does not allow each user to recognize whether or not each user has read each document or each document group.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a method of indicating a user status in groupware, which enables each user to recognize the status whether or not each of users composing the group has read each document or each document group displayed in the view window, and an apparatus for use in the same.